Front office love Lard

Douglas LeeNov 3, 2012 11:30 AM

Good Morning, Broncos fans! Been forgetting all week to mention a couple of points that came up in our game chat last Sunday.

For one, it was very encouraging to see the extra gear of speed provided by Ronnie Hillman on offense and Trindon Holliday returning punts. It's been a long time since the Broncos have regularly put the ball into the hands of anyone with as much pure speed as either of these guys - a quick look during the game at recent Denver rosters took us all the way back to 2006, for Tatum Bell's first (pre-mobile phone salesman/Lions baggage thief) stint with the team.

Each has some learning ahead of them - Hillman has Willis McGahee to show him better reads and the proper balance between decisiveness and patience with the ball, and Holliday could stand to gain a better understanding from Jim Leonhard of how/when to fair catch a ball. Both have time on their side - Hillman is the youngest player in the NFL, and Holliday has only returned 23 punts in his brief NFL career.

But even with those shortcomings, the element of speed Hillman and Holliday bring to the field makes them extremely dangerous threats to either bust a long gain or score every time they touch the ball. Denver had been lacking in this area for so long, that many of us (especially me) were far too excited by the prospect of adding Jeremiah Johnson to the offense during the 2011 preseason. And that's a guy who ran a 4.62-second forty at the combine.

The other thing that came up on Sunday was that Denver's front office deserves a heap of credit for having re-signed Wesley Woodyard. Wesley was an unrestricted free agent, and after four years without a real chance to start, nobody could have been upset with him leaving for greener pastures.

Of course, it's likely that the opportunity just didn't present itself. But between D.J. Williams's looming suspension, and the respectable contract Denver offered (two years, $3.5M) to a part-time player, Woodyard did have some healthy incentive to return. Whether Jack Del Rio and Co. envisioned the success Wesley has had this season, and especially last week, we may never know.

Greg Cosell had the following to say about Wesley and Chris Harris in his weekly podcast with Doug Farrar:

He's so critical, and it's funny you mentioned him, because when he came out of Kentucky, I was really high on him in a given role, and that's the role he's played in the NFL. His game fits today's NFL, because he's an undersized linebacker who can run and blitz and cover. Twenty years ago, nobody would have looked at that guy -- he wouldn't have played. They would have asked, 'Can you play safety,' because he's 220 pounds. But now, with multiple personnel packages, and tight ends who are really wide receivers, he fits this league perfectly.

The other player on that defense I really like is Chris Harris. I think he's one of the best slot corners in the league, and nobody talks about him. Those two players, given that you play your sub packages so often in the NFL now -- and certainly when you play teams like the Saints -- those players are so critical to the success of this defense. And I think it's a defense that will continue to get better as their offense gets better. They're playing sub packages more, because Peyton Manning will get you a lead now, those two players are essential to what the Broncos do.

We can talk about Denver's draft choices and the veteran free agents they've signed from other teams, but any discussion of the job done by John Elway, Matt Russell and Co. has to heavily feature mention of the re-signing of Woodyard and acquisition of Harris after he went uninvited to combine and undrafted. And of course, John Fox and his staff likewise deserve credit for putting these guys on the field into such significant roles.

Broncos

Videos: John Fox speaks after practice; NFLN's Playbook crew break down the matchup, including a look at Woodyard's stellar play Sunday (Hey Sterling, it was MNF, then SNF).

With so many early kickoffs looming, it's extremely encouraging to see Fox taking the initiative of flying the team out on Friday to allow players to get acclimated. One has to wonder how many more of these early games Shanny & Co. would have won back in the day with this strategy. Of course, getting into town late didn't hurt the 1997 team in Buffalo, but that was the exception.

Herm Edwards says that part of the learning process for Denver's receivers is trusting that the placement of every throw from Peyton Manning has a reason behind it. TYJE.

The 2013 season will bring the first visit from Mike Shanahan to his former home digs, plus road matchups at Indy, Houston, Dallas, and against the Giants, so a homecoming for Peyton and a matchup with his brother (I may have to go to that one, we'll see). Other home games will be against the Jags, Titans, and Eagles.

Efficiency figures suggest the Broncos have a 95% chance of winning the AFCW, and a 56% chance at a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Bengals

WR Marvin Jones was ruled out for Cincy, while LB Dontay Moch was placed on IR due to severe migraines. DT Pat Sims was removed from the PUP list but will not play tomorrow.

Trimmings

Saints RB Darren Sproles is out this week after having undergone hand surgery; Cleveland activated NT Phil Taylor from their PUP list.

Lions RB Jahvid Best will not play this season as he continues to fight post-concussion symptoms; Dr. Robert Cantu is continuing to call for children under the age of 14 to avoid sports that have high concussion rates.

Romeo Crennel remains the coach in Kansas City, while Norv Turner's job was apparently never in jeopardy. As much as that seems worthy of celebration, three games for the Broncos against interim coaches would be even better.

Scrapple

The Broncos have allowed two unblocked sacks (not great) but have gotten four of them on defense (among the best).

Clark Judge cautions that tomorrow could be a trap game for Denver, but is there such a thing for a PM-led team?

Nobody even wanted Harris as a free agent - that's when you either are a genius or you get lucky. In contrast, Stevie Johnson had all sorts of free agent offers - he chose Denver because he saw how Harris (his former teammate) was given a good chance to succeed. That's really important - that undrafted free agents are treated equally to draft piks, so everyone has a chance. That doesn't happen with every team. Thank you front office.

Posted by billyricky on 2012-11-04 12:06:57

The big difference about the current front office is Elway doesn't pay a bunch of lip service to "drafting high character guys", but that's the only kind of athletes he seems interested in acquiring. Most of the players Elway brings in were team captains in college and high motor guys. Players with sketchy backgrounds or the type who require a lot of external motivation get severely downgraded.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-11-04 08:56:31

Seemed like during the Shanny/McD years the team was underachieving. I always wanted a Broncos team that was built with players that were hungry to win far beyond their reputation. Guys like Harris and Hillman, right or wrong, seem to be those types of players. I'm really interested to see how they hold up throughout the rest of the season.

I'm hoping for a Manning/Manning matchup in this season's Super Bowl. There. I said it.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2012-11-04 04:12:38

You talked earlier about duel-threat, no huddle. Both are good to use, because it adds to your tactical advvantage. To counter, were I the Broncos or any other team, I would go with something like the "Regular Look Defensive Alignment" In a game of Spy vs. Spy, Cat and Mouse, (Since I'm an expert! Heh Heh Heh) everything is kind of a crap shoot. Countering moves in a game is like looking into two mirrors facing each other, there is no end in sight. If you're the offense and quarterback, it's like having the casino advantage in blackjack, 51-49 since you know what's going to happen, or supposed to know what's going to happen, every play. The defense is relegated to guesswork. How good of a guesser you are. This involves coordinators and players, how well you studied game film of your opponent, if your opponent is doing the same things on the field as he were the week before. I wouldn't, I'd change things up some week to week. On defense and offense, I'd allow some leeway to the coordinators and players, intuition counts for something, but you also have to have, and stick to a plan. Having great players is a must! (Unnnnuh, Broncos Great!) So, the "Regular Look", involves three different formations out of which all defensive assignments can be covered. That's all there is, the whole game, three formations. If the same assignment for all or some players, can come from at least two formations, then how can a quarterback "know" where the defense is going to be when the ball is hiked? If you're a defense, you want to present as generic a look as possible to the opposing quarterback, not telegraphing any intentions, otherwise a "Slick" quarterback will pick you clean. You have to push some of that guesswork back on the opposing offense, nullify some of their "Casino Advantage" No one beats a casino, without first gaining an advantage in their percentage.

Posted by CaptCatnip on 2012-11-04 00:36:22

Nice work as ususal, Doug. I think we can all agree that the decision making process from the front office seems to be much improved since JE took the helm. And I look for both of these young speedsters to break for a TD before the season is over.

Posted by azdenfan on 2012-11-03 17:46:27

Enjoy! I was at last week's game, and it was masterful. Plus, I got to meet Mark Jackson at work that week. It was quite a Bronco-based week.

Posted by RSH, Esq. on 2012-11-03 14:14:56

I would give extra credit for uncovering a gem like Chris Harris because he really was overlooked by everybody. 254 players were drafted in 2011, but 329 were invited to the NFL Combine. Harris didn't receive an invitation, despite being a four year starter @ KU and a team captain as a senior.

It was shocking to me that Wesley Woodyard wasn't drafted after leading the SEC in tackles as a senior and finishing second in that category as a junior.

Posted by Yahmule on 2012-11-03 13:43:28

Here's my question

What balance between luck, knowledge, scouting and skill is involved in getting an undrafted rookie that performs at Harris' level? What's the success rate of NFL teams in getting undrafted rookies into starting roles? I know Denver has had one make the roster for a number of years but is that any better than other teams?

Good to hear that the Broncos flew to Cincinnati on Friday. I wonder if they plan to return to Denver after the game, or just move on to Carolina and stay there next week. I hope the latter - more teams seem to be doing that when they have two games in a row far from home and in the same general area. And it seems to help.